US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday that Washington was prepared to “increase pressure” on Russia, but that Europe must also act to truly force Moscow to the negotiating table.
The remarks came after Russia attacked Ukraine overnight with its largest wave of drone and missiles since beginning its full-scale invasion over three years ago, despite efforts by President Donald Trump to halt the fighting.
Bessent said that Trump and his vice president, JD Vance, had a “very productive call” with European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen on Friday, and that he had also spoken with the EU leader.
“We are talking about what can the two — EU and the US — do together. And we are prepared to increase pressure on Russia,” Bessent told NBC’s “Meet the Press” program.
“But we need our European partners to follow us,” he said.
Trump has threatened to penalize countries that buy Russia’s oil, seeking to cut off a key funding source for Russian leader Vladimir Putin’s war, but has so far only hit India with so-called secondary sanctions.
“If the US and the EU can come in to more sanctions, secondary tariffs on the countries that buy Russian oil, the Russian economy will be in full collapse. And that will bring President Putin to the table,” Bessent said.
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© Agence France-Presse
